DELPHINULA. 267 



minute; body-wliorl descending, frequently free or nearly free from 

 the preceding, iu section subtriangular, angled below and less con- 

 s])icuously so at the shoulder ; all over finely spirally Urate, the lira; 

 either smooth, densely squamose or spinose ; perii^hery bearing 

 large irregular more or less hollow foliated processes, which droop 

 foreward or downward ; one or two series of smaller spines usually 

 revolve about the middle of the last whorl ; base carinated, the 

 carina usually nodose or irregular, bounding a circumumbilical 

 tract usually acutely squamose ; the umbilicus proper is narrow 

 and deep ; aperture rounded trigonal, inside perfectly circular, 

 pearly, white or tinged with golden ; peristome irregular, acute, the 

 columellar margin sinuous, the base more or less produced. Color 

 whitish, pink or yellowish, the projecting processes and spinelets 

 often redder or blackish. 



Alt. 55, diam. 70 mill. ; alt. 35, diani. oo mill. 



Lidian 0. ; E. Indies; Philippines ; Mergul Archipelago, etc. 



The following are synonyms : D. delphinnlm "Linn., D. forniosa 

 Rve. (pi. 6o, fig. 9, 11; pi. 67, fig. 3), Z>. mem Reeve (pi. 66, fig. 16), 

 D. nodosa Rve. (pi. 66, fig. 18), D. nodulosa (Gm.) Phil. D. ncu- 

 leata Rve. (pi. 66, fig. 14) and I), euracanihra A. Ad. (pi. QQ, fig. 17) 

 lire forms intermediate between the tyi)e and var. melanacantha. 



Turbo delphin.ul\is of Linn?eus, was undoubtedly the first binomial 

 name applied to this form ; but since, it has been ignored by authors 

 for more than a century, science would probably not be benefitted 

 by an attempt to revive it. 



The variation in foi'm, sculpture and color iu Delphinula is very 

 great. I am unable to distinguish the numerous species described 

 by Reeve. The last whorl, in D. laciniata, may be deeply descend- 

 ing, almost or quite free from the preceding at the aperture, or it 

 may be but slightly descending, nearly planorboid. Its upper sur- 

 face is plane or very obscurely radiately undulate. The peripheral 

 spines in the typical form defined above, are large, foliated, and 

 drooping ; but are nearly as frequently narrow and subsimple. The 

 following varieties may, when typically developed, be distinguished ; 

 but the transition forms are more numerous in collections than the 

 typical ones. 



Var. ATEATA Reeve, 1842. PI. 66, fig. 15. 



Differs from the type in having the superior series of foliations or 

 spines less conspicuous and those upon the middle and base of the 

 whorl numerous and more developed ; peristome pink-margined 

 within ; ground-color pink or grayish, lira; and spines black. 



